Lines of boots representing deceased Pennsylvania soldiers� were on display in Reeves Memorial Library for the traveling exhibit, �Eyes Wide Open.�
The Eyes Wide Open exhibit, �The Cost of War to Pennsylvania,� came to Reeves Memorial Library at Seton Hill University (SHU) on March 22 and 23, 2006.
This exhibit is designed to be a living memorial to the Pennsylvanian military personnel and Iraqi civilians who have been killed in the Iraqi War.
The exhibit consists of 111 pairs of boots tagged with the names of the Pennsylvanian soldiers and 50 pairs of shoes with names of fallen Iraqi citizens, representing the 50:1 ratio of Iraqis to United States personnel killed in the war.
By Cayla Glover,
Contributor
Lines of boots representing deceased Pennsylvania soldiers� were on display in Reeves Memorial Library for the traveling exhibit, �Eyes Wide Open.�
The Eyes Wide Open exhibit, �The Cost of War to Pennsylvania,� came to Reeves Memorial Library at Seton Hill University (SHU) on March 22 and 23, 2006.
This exhibit is designed to be a living memorial to the Pennsylvanian military personnel and Iraqi civilians who have been killed in the Iraqi War.
The exhibit consists of 111 pairs of boots tagged with the names of the Pennsylvanian soldiers and 50 pairs of shoes with names of fallen Iraqi citizens, representing the 50:1 ratio of Iraqis to United States personnel killed in the war.
Many students on campus objected to the exhibit being displayed, as they felt it was an anti-war protest, but the American Friends Service Committee, which sponsors this exhibit, said that they believe this exhibit can be appreciated by everyone who wants to draw together to honor and grieve for those killed in the war.
Fifteen students were listeners at the exhibit during the two days that it was showing and attended an hour-long listener-training event that Scilla and Paul Wahrhaftig of the American Friends Service Committee sponsored.
The students were instructed on how to listen and communicate with the people who came to view the event and how to react to the different emotions that visitors would most likely be displaying.
Cynthia Magistro, a professor of psychology, reminded listeners to let the exhibit speak for itself and not allow their personal beliefs to influence their work with the visitors.
Patience Marol, a junior, said, �The exhibit’s very moving, and I think it’s an interesting experience to see the different reactions of people that the exhibit sparks. I appreciate the sacrifice that our soldiers have made. I�m grateful to their families, and I pray for their comfort and peace.�
The exhibit had over 120 visitors, and 60 people attended the panel discussion on Thursday night.
The panel featured Susan Cooley, the director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic, Maj. Richard Collage of the Pennsylvania National Guard, and Neil and Diane Santoriello, who lost their son, Neil, in Iraq.
Magistro asked that politics be left out of the following discussion, as the panel was designed to look at what it is like to work with military families, the issues soldiers face in the military, and what it is like for the families of those who die serving their country.
Cooley opened the panel with a candle-lighting ritual in the hopes that everyone present would �come to understand each other more.� The participants discussed what brought them to the panel.
Neil Santoriello said, �I do this to honor the dead…and to help fathers because I think fathers are ignored.�
Cooley then discussed the demands of military life and war on the families of military personnel, including the constant reorganization of family structure, the uncertainty of those left at home, and the constant worry about the possibility that a loved one might not return home alive.
She stressed that it is important to keep the deployed as an active part of the family while they are away by maintaining an emotional and mental bond with them.
The panel closed with a discussion of what the participants hoped that the audience would take away from the evening.
Collage said, �There will never be a consensus on the politics of the [war], do you agree or not agree…I think the important thing to remember is how difficult it is for service members, what sacrifices they�re making…they believe they�re doing something to help over there, and I would hope people everywhere would not forget that.�
The panel then opened up for student discussion.
Several SHU students participated, including Josh Knopp, a junior, Paul Crossman, a junior, and Megan Ritter, a sophomore.
Cooley closed the discussion with another ritual, asking that �…the light of this candle by reflected in our hearts as we leave this evening.�
Students shared their views about the exhibit in light of the panel discussion.
Crossman said, �I think in order to make this a truly open panel discussion, you would�ve needed a family who lost a child and did support the war in addition to a family who lost a child and didn’tsupport the war in order to get a larger flow of information,� he said.
Crossman added, �The panel discussion was a lot less biased than I expected it to be…overall it was relatively informative as to how people feel about the war.�
Sophomore Amanda Gallagher said, �This [exhibit] is fantastic, I just think it’s great. I saw a protest in London; I don’tsee this as a protest. It’s a memorial of respect; it’s really emotional.�
In addition to SHU, this exhibit has visited Allegheny College, Edinboro University, and Erie University, and will travel to 11 other cities. The exhibit will end in Harrisburg on Mother’s Day.
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